After its crushing defeat in the Assembly polls, the Congress leadership will do an introspection on failing to open an account for the fourth time in a row in Kozhikode district.
The leadership had given a thought to revamping its electoral strategy for the Assembly polls when the party was roundly trounced in the three-tier local body polls in December.
However, this time too, the party failed to win a legislature seat. At the same time, the Revolutionary Marxist Party of India (RMPI), backed by the United Democratic Front , opened its account in the Assembly by winning the Vadakara seat.
Also, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) captured the Koduvally seat although the party lost its two sitting seats- Kozhikode South and Kuttiyadi.
This time, the Congress again fielded KPCC general secretaries K. Praveen Kumar and N. Subramanian in Nadapuram and Koyilandy respectively to wrest these segments.
They failed to impress the electorate although both of them have been trying to establish their activities in these Assembly constituencies. However, their candidacies have been able to bring down the vote share of the Left Democratic Front ( LDF) nominees.
Similarly, in Kozhikode North, Congress candidate K.M. Abhijith has been able to eat into the vote share of the CPI(M). He was also able to reduce the winning margin of the two-time Mayor Thottathil Raveendran in the constituency.
In these three segments, the Congress leadership had hoped to spring a surprise. The party did not have any big expectations in Beypore and Balussery, the two segments where the Congress candidates were in fray.
Party sources said that the decision of the KPCC to nominate K. Muraleedharan, who is also the Vadakara, MP to fight the polls in Nemom, put a vacuum in the electioneering of the Congress candidates in these segments.
Not only did Mr. Muraleedharan finish in the third position in the Assembly polls, his absence adversely impacted the campaign of the UDF-led coalition in key segments in Kozhikode district.
The Congress-IUML combine would have won a few more seats in Kozhikode district if Mr. Muraleedharan was present in the poll scenario, he said.
Also, the KPCC was unable to coordinate the electioneering in the district with its vice president T. Siddique contesting from Kalpetta in neighbouring Wayanad district. A solace is that he won the electoral race.
Besides, three KPCC general secretaries including P.N. Niyas were candidates in the district, a Congress functionary said.
